I’m committed to credible polls in 2015 – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday assured the international community that he was more committed than ever before to making the 2015 elections more credible than the 2011 exercise.

The President said his commitment to credible polls was based on the outcome of the 2007 elections when even the world leaders were in difficulty of whether to congratulate the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and himself, because the event was flawed.

He stated this when he received the outcome of the National Stakeholders’ Forum on Electoral Reform by former Senate President Ken Nnamani, who is the Chairman of Ken Nnamani Centre for Leadership  and Development.

“Let me commend you of your efforts, your painstaking commitment to come up with this formidable report or communique that outline some key areas that the relevant department of government will look into it to strengthen out electoral process.

“Anything about elections, I’m totally committed. And I used my personal experience when I came on board in 2007 as a vice president, and I promised myself that if I have the privilege to oversee elections in Nigeria, we will do better. In 2007 because I come from a very small state, Bayelsa, and was then the governor. Bayelsa State is totally a PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) state and didn’t see how anybody could win election outside the PDP. But at the end of that election because I had to go to my ward to vote, because everything about politics is local, I was embarrassed when the international observers complained that there were certain breaches.

“Even though after taking the oath of office and the Supreme Court declared us winners, but each time one travelled abroad, people ask all kinds of questions that even get one angry. That was when I promised myself that if I have an opportunity to oversee elections in Nigeria, no other President or Vice President should suffer that can kind of harassment by the international community. That is why the 2011 elections, even though I was a candidate, I said nobody should manipulate elections for me. That my ambition and the fate of the country are two different things, the interest of the nation is much more superior than any other ambition and I kept faith with that. At least at the end of that elections, it was accepted by observers locally and internationally. And I promise that 2015 elections will be better.

“There is a lot of noise in the air, but definitely the elections will be better because we must put our legs down and make sure that the right things are done”, he said.

On the recommendations by the National Stakeholders’ Forum on Electoral Reform, which include the establishment of electoral offences  commission, funding of INEC and support for constitutional/electoral reform proposals mad“Ze by the commission, compliance to internal democracy and campaign finance regulation ahead of the 2015 elections and respect for the rule of law by political parties, the President noted that there were not strange as they were in tandem with government’s thinking and policy.

On the establishment of electoral offences  commission, Jonathan while noting that there was a bill before the National Assembly, agreed that there must be a dedicated body “so that people who commit electoral  offences will not get away with them. After elections, the matter goes to the tribunal, the only person who loses is the person who contested that elections. Any other person who committed all kinds of atrocities get away with them and nobody punishes them. And that is why we continue to have that kind of impunity but if people create people for the electoral process, those people should be punished and not just about annulling elections.  That was why my committee at a time recommended this election offences commission, where we stated that whether elections or annulled or not, there must be a process of bringing those who have done one thing or the other contrary to expectations to book. And when we practise this over a period of time, we will begin to get it right. We must be compelled to be rational as human beings.

“On the issue of funding INEC, we will continue to do our best.

On campaign finance regulation, “I think the electoral laws need to be properly focused on that.  I am a realist and I am a practical person and that is why I behave differently.  I don’t pretend. I believe that even the laws or even regulations must not be designed in a way that they will pretend.

In some countries if you are getting funds from government, then you must set restrictions but if you are generating your own funds then, you have no restrictions. If you say a governor must not spend beyond certain amount of money when campaigning, how do you monitor? And sometimes the figures you put are too unrealistic because if you must campaign, the media is very expensive. You cannot pigeon hole a candidate to spend within a budget. So I think people must come up with what is realistic and practicable because the  law itself must not be booby traps for anybody,” Jonathan said.

He promised to send the reports to the relevant authorities to act.

Earlier in his remarks, Nnamani said less than one year to the 2015 general elections, legal and administrative reforms remain uncompleted. “While the constitution reform process instituted by the National Assembly has reached an advanced stage, several issues in the electoral circle remain unattended to. A significant portion of the legal reforms required for the conduct of improved elections in 2015 are contained in the Electoral Act. Concerns have arisen over the pace of work on the amendment of this legislation, given that the notice of elections will be given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on October 1, 2014, according to the 2015 elections time-table. Outside the Constitution and Electoral Act, INEC requires more resources than what is currently proposed in the 2014 Appropriation Bill, if the election management body is expected to effectively carry out its responsibility of conducting free, fair and credible elections in 2015”, he said.The delegation include  Prof. Ebere Onwudiwe,Executive Director,  Ken Nnamani Centre for Leadership  and Development, Jacqualine Farris, DG Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, Michael Harvey, Head, USIAD/Nigeria, Mrs. Nino Nadiradze, Director, Peace and Democratic Governance, USIAD/Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Muhammed Adoke (SAN) and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim.